Helping contact centre employees to live and learn

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HeroTSC introduces staff to a world of e-learning at work and home

By Tracey Smith, Head of Learning and Development at HeroTSC

In the fast changing environment of the contact centre industry, it is pivotal that advisers, team leaders and managers are equipped with the skills and knowledge to respond with agility to the demands of clients and their customers.

The contact centre industry in particular has fully embraced the knowledge age by accessing an exciting world of opportunities for learning that will allow its people to enhance their careers.

Working in partnership with leading provider, Skillsoft, HeroTSC launched its pioneering new E-learning system six months ago. By giving them a myriad of courses and literature at their fingertips, the aim was to offer team leaders and managers the opportunity to build personal learning plans which complement their own development needs.

From the outset, HeroTSC has viewed E-learning as a fantastic way to invest in its people, allowing our valued employees to progress within the company through learning new skills that wouldn't otherwise be available to them.

Working with key stakeholders in the business, including training consultants, business managers and directors, 30 courses were selected to be made available on the system. They cover a wide range of subjects, including:

• Professional assertiveness
  
• Sales skills
  
• Time management
  
• Microsoft Excel, Word & Powerpoint
  
• Coping with stress
  
• Emotional intelligence
  
• Presentation skills

Hosted on web-based portal, 'Skillport,' the system allows learners to access E-learning from any internet connection. Because they are not restricted to use within work time, it also enhances their ability to manage their own learning at their convenience.

The 30 courses - which have been designed and written by Skillsoft's E-learning experts - contain video and audio content in order to keep the learner stimulated.

Learners can undertake as many courses as they wish and can save their progress at any time. They also have access to Books 24X7 - an on-line library containing around 3000 reference books covering IT and business skills. And because the system is accessible from home, the licence allows employees' family members to benefit from the available material. This means that as a business, HeroTSC is able to add real value to the wider community.

Upon completion, learners receive a formal certificate in recognition of their efforts and success. In addition, the top five learners are rewarded with a prize each quarter, and are featured in the company's staff magazine, UPbeat.

As is the case with the implementation of every new system, the introduction of the E-learning initiative was not without its challenges. Establishing and maintaining the system was time consuming, and required a dedicated administrator.

To encourage team leaders to buy into the new system, a trainer on each site was appointed an 'E-learning hero,' whose responsibility was to promote the launch and offer front-line technical support and advice. This was supplemented by hour-long awareness sessions with team leaders and operational managers to raise the profile of the system and give learners the chance to ask questions in advance of the launch.

Three months after the system's introduction, learning hours per month had peaked at nearly 480. And, after the success of the first six months, it's likely that the E-learning system will be integrated into the performance and development plans for all HeroTSC team leaders.

We're now investigating the possibility of using the system to deliver training courses that are penned in-house, enabling us to roll out content to all sites without having to find trainer resources and accommodation. Not only will this reduce costs, it will also increase the courses' audiences.

Committed to carrying out a regular litmus test of the system's effectiveness, we were encouraged to find that feedback from users has been extremely positive, with many expressing real enthusiasm for its flexibility. Impressed with the range of books on the system, we also found that many learners used this tool to assist with studies in Further and Higher Education.

Rather than take my word for it, I'll allow the following comments from HeroTSC learners to speak for themselves.

"It's great to have a system that I can get into from home. It's always difficult to make time for learning at work, as it's easy to be distracted at your desk. The courses and books have helped me with my certificate in training practice course at college, as I didn't need to spend lots of money on buying reference books - they were already on the system!"  

Laura Knight - Sales Trainer

"Now that Skillport is available, I have a well constructed method of training, which ensures I am using industry practiced standards in my approach, as well as testing my understanding through the various training sessions assigned.  This is a valuable piece of equipment from my perspective, as it allows us to learn very useful skills that help us work on our weaknesses and build on our strengths, and maximise our efficiency, thus making us more competitive in the market." 

Peter Lawlor, Senior MIS Analyst
 
"I have really enjoyed the E-learning courses that I've undertaken so far. I've completed 'Foundations for Building Effective Teams,' which, as a trainer, really helped me understand my training groups a bit better and assisted me in early days of a group. I have also completed some of the Excel course, which enabled me to make a spreadsheet, which is now used by the full training team to record information across three sites."

Emma Burrowes, Licensed Trainer
 
"E-Learning has allowed me to view new and exciting potential within myself. It has supported my success within my work environment. The system is designed for all types of learners, be that visual, auditory or kinesthetic." 

Andy Duncan, Licensed Trainer

"The system is really useful for me to get back into learning again, as it has been a while since I last took part in a study programme. The courses on Microsoft Excel will really help my team with their reporting."

Pamela Risk, Senior Management Reporting Analyst

HeroTSC was formed in 1994 with a vision to provide best in class contact centre solutions to UK-based international businesses. It now manages over 31 million customer contacts for blue chip clients every year.

After substantial growth, HeroTSC is now the fourth largest in its sector in the UK, with more than 3000 customer contact specialists with 2000 seats across nine centres in the UK. Overseas, Hero TSC has two centres in South Africa and three centres in India.

HeroTSC has a broad range of blue chip clients across key growth industry sectors, including telecommunications, financial services, technology and the public sector. They include T-Mobile, Vodafone, HBoS, HSBC, Tesco Personal Finance, Office Depot, Hewlett Packard, nPower and UK Broadband.

For further information, please contact:
Graham Scott
HeroTSC
Graham.scott@tsc.co.uk
Tel 01324 575000